Archives

Tony Romo

11/11/2013

The popular thing to do on this Monday morning after the Dallas Cowboys lost 343-13 to the New Orleans Saints is to blame little safety Jeff Heath.

He is Little Jeff Heath because if you saw this young man in person you would know that he is just a little guy. He is listed as 6-foot-1, 209 pounds ... don't buy it. The undrafted rookie free agent from Saginaw Valley State should, at best, be a special teams player. If that.

Instead, he is the starting safety for the Dallas Cowboys at a crucial point of the season. That should never be happening at any point in any season.

Three times against the Saints, Heath had a chance to make a TD saving tackle and did not. It would not have mattered had he made those stops. The Saints would have scored on the next play.

Heath is currently the face of the NFL's worst defense yet to blame him, or most of these guys, is pointless. The majority of the defenders being run over by the Saints on Sunday night should not be NFL starters, or anything more than fill-out-the-roster players. Instead, because of inept GMing or injuries, the likes of Jeff Heath and a bunch of other spares are being asked to do more than they are capable.

Since they are the players who are playing, technically it is "their fault" but ... to blame them is to miss a much bigger issue.

DEZ BRYANTOne catch for 44 yards against true bracket coverage that would not let him breathe.He is on pace for 83 catches for 1,198 yards and 13 TDs. That's a great statistical season, but Sunday night's game was proof that if you take away Dez from Tony Romo this "explosive" offense is pedestrian.

THIRD DOWNSThere are so many statistical embarrassments for the Cowboys let's go with this: 0-for-9 on third downs were the Dallas Football Cowboys. The Saints converted nine third downs in 12 attemtps.

SEAN LEEThis is what happens when you draft injured players - they get hurt. The Cowboys best defensive player hurt his left hamstring against the Saints and he is going to miss some time. Don't worry - Ernie Sims has this. Or Kevin Justin Durant.

This is the risk when the Cowboys gave Lee a six-year, $42 million deal in the offseason. Chances were good this injury was always a matter of when not if.

2008: In the spring of 2008 at Penn State, he tore his ACL in non-contact drill and missed the season. 2010, Lee was injured a few times as a rookie with a hamstring. He missed two games.2011: Lee suffered a dislocated left wrist against the Eagles on Oct. 30, but he missed only one game.2012: Suffered a broken toe and missed ten games.2013: Left hamstring ... who knows?

TONY ROMOOn pace for 4,290 yards with 34 TDs and only 10 picks. Looks great, until you watch games on Sunday night and realize just how misleading numbers can be. His best receiver was blanketed, but Tony Romo was simply awful against the Saints.If his defense is going to continue to be trash, he has to be brilliant. His numbers are good, his play has been erratic.

As you can see by this screen grab, he did at least keep his humor as evidenced by what appears to be a joke he issued to backup Kyle Orton after the Saints took a 35-10 lead late in the third quarter.

If we don't have our humor, we are no better than the machines.

TERRANCE WILLIAMSThe rookie from Baylor caught one pass for 21 yards. Romo targeted Williams five times. Bottom line - if Dez is going to be bracketed, and after the Saints shut him down bet big money all future teams try this - T-Will has to get open and catch football passes.

NEW YORK GIANTSThey're going to screw this up for the Boys' vision of an 8-8 NFC East title.The N-Y-G are 3-6 but a serious threat to the division championship. How sad.They play the Packers, who are without their top two quarterbacks, on Sunday before hosting the Cowboys on November 24.There is a good chance they are going to be 5-6 when they play at the Redskins on Dec. 1. The Giants' schedule after that is brutal (at Chargers, Seahawks, at Lions, Redskins) but this is set up to be interesting.

10/29/2013

The Dallas Cowboys are 25-23 under Jason Garrett, and the trademark of a Coach Process team has been that of close games, and a slew of wins that turned into losses.

Twenty-three (48%) of the Cowboys' games under Garrett have been decided by three points or less, in OT, or in some crazy last-second variety.

The rant is always if they just won those bleepin' games this would be a playoff team. It's impossible to win all of the close games because this league is so close. But upon closer inspection of these selected games you will see the Cowboys have blown their fare share of games, and won when they should not have. Overall, they have lost more than they should have.

This is an inexact science, and some of it requires the eye-ball test.

2010: Six games; 3-3. Should have been 3-3.2011: Nine games; 4-5. Should have been 8-1.2012: Five games; 3-2. Should have been 1-4. 2013: Three games; 0-3. Should be 2-1.

The Cowboys are 10-13 in those games. They should be 14-9.

Again, this is inexact but take a look for yourself:

2010Nov. 25, 2010 Saints 30, Cowboys 27
in ArlingtonOn Thanksgiving, the Cowboys trailed 23-20
going into the fourth quarter. They took a 27-23 lead with 5:56 remaining in
the game.
The Cowboys could have put the game away when QB Jon Kitna hit receiver Roy
Williams for a 47-yard gain but he was stripped by Malcolm Jenkins at the
Saints’ 11.
Four plays later, with 2:25 remaining, Drew Brees found Robert Meachem for a
55-yard gain to the Cowboys’ 12 that set up the game-winning score.
The Cowboys missed a potential long field goal to tie at the end.Should the Cowboys have won: YES. They blew it.

Dec. 4, 2010 Cowboys 38, Colts 35 (ot)
in IndianapolisThe Cowboys led 27-14 going into the
fourth quarter; the Colts scored 21 fourth-quarter points to force overtime.
The Cowboys intercepted Peyton Manning a fourth time in the OT and won on a
field goal.Should the Cowboys have won: YES. This team was the beginning of
the slide for Manning in Indy; he had no defense.

Dec. 12, 2010 Eagles 30, Cowboys 27In ArlingtonThe Cowboys led 20-17 after three
quarters, but the Eagles slowly grinded away and led 30-20 with 8:19 remaining.
The Eagles were the better team.Should the Cowboys have won: NO.

Dec. 19, 2010 Cowboys 33, Redskins 30
in Arlington
The Cowboys led 30-14 going into the fourth. Neither team was very good.Should the Cowboys have won: YES.

Dec. 25, 2010 Cardinals 27, Cowboys 26In PhoenixThe Cardinals led 21-3 in the second
quarter and 21-20 after three. Cowboys QB Jon Kitna suffered an injury during
the game, which put third stringer Stephen McGee, who led a TD drive in the
fourth quarter for a 26-24 lead. The Cardinals won it on a last second field
goal by Jay Feely.Should the Cowboys have won: NO. They had the lead in the fourth
quarter, but they were chasing this team on the road the entire way.

Jan. 2, 2011 Cowboys 14, Eagles 13
in PhillyThe final game of the season, the Eagles were not concerned
about the final score as they were preparing for the playoffs.The Eagles led 13-7 midway through the fourth quarter; the Cowboys won when
McGee completed a 4-yard TD pass to Jason Witten with :59 seconds remaining.Should the Cowboys have won: NO. The
Eagles weren’t trying.

2011Sept. 11, 2011 NY Jets 27, Cowboys 24in New JerseyThe Cowboys led 24-10 in the fourth quarter before executing
a brilliant choke. Tony Romo lost a fumble at the Jets’ 2-yard line with 9:12
remaining. The Jets blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown with 5:08
remaining. Romo threw a pick with 59 seconds left to set up the Jets winning
field goal.Should the Cowboys have won: YES. Absolutely. A mother gag.

Sept. 18, 2011 Cowboys 27, 49ers 24 (ot)
in SFThe 49ers led 24-14 early in the fourth
quarter before they blew it. Despite playing with busted ribs, Romo led a TD
drive with 7:03 remaining and the tying field goal at the end of regulation. Should the Cowboys have won: NO WAY. No one knew how good the
49ers would be.

Sept. 26, 2011 Cowboys 18, Redskins 16
in ArlingtonAn ugly game that the Redskins led 16-9 in
the third quarter. Three Dan Bailey field goals in the second half won the
game. The Redskins, on their four possessions, were punt, punt, punt, fumble.Should the Cowboys have won: Sure, why not?

Oct. 2, 2011 Lions 34, Cowboys 30
in ArlingtonThe Cowboys led 27-3 in the third quarter before pulling off
a miracle to lose this game. Romo had consecutive pick-six plays in the third
quarter to get the Lions started. The Lions took the lead with 1:44 remaining
on a Calvin Johnson touchdown.Should the Cowboys have won: God YES.

Oct. 16, 2011 Patriots 20, Cowboys 16
in FoxboroThe Patriots led 13-3 in the second
quarter but this game was tight the entire way. The Cowboys took a 16-13 lead
in the fourth quarter. Twice the Cowboys had the ball inside the Patriots’
5-yard line in the second half that resulted in field goals.
The Pats’ regained possession at their own 20 with 2:31 remaining, and Tom
Brady quickly did what Tom Brady do – score. He completed an 8-yard TD pass to
Aaron Hernandez (yes, that Aaron Hernandez) with 27 seconds remaining to win.Should the Cowboys have won: No, but yes. This is a tough call.
Yes.

Nov. 20 2011 Cowboys 27, Redskins 24 (ot)
in Maryland
The Cowboys were asleep for most of the game against a 3-6 Redskins team.
Washington led 17-10 in the third quarter but the Cowboys took the lead on a
59-yard pass from Romo to Jason Witten.
The Redskins tied it with 22 seconds remaining. They missed a 52-yard field
goal in overtime.Should the Cowboys have won it: Uhhhh … yes.

Nov. 24, 2011 Cowboys 20, Dolphins 19
in Arlington
A bad Fish team, “led” by QB Matt Moore, had a 16-10 lead in the fourth quarter
before the Cowboys tied it. The Cowboys won it on a last-second field goal by
Dan Bailey. A brutal game.Should the Cowboys have won it: Yes.

Dec. 4 2011 Cardinals 19, Cowboys 13 (ot)
in PhoenixAn awful loss that trigged their
season-ending collapse. The Cardinals were 4-7. The Cowboys led 13-6 in the
fourth quarter. On their final drive of regulation, the team badly botched the
clock and timeouts, which led to a Dan Bailey 49-yard field goal with seven
seconds remaining. He missed.
The Cardinals took the opening kickoff of the OT and scored on a 52-yard
touchdown pass from Kevin Kolb to LaRod Stephens-Howling.Should the Cowboys have won: Yes. They had no business losing this game.

Dec. 11, 2011 Giants 37, Cowboys 34
in Arlington
With 5:52 remaining in the game, the Cowboys led 34-22. The Giants two
touchdowns in their next two drives to take the lead. The Cowboys had a
potential game-tying field goal blocked with six seconds remaining.Should the Cowboys have won: Yes. Yes. Yes.

2012 season Oct. 14, 2012 Ravens 31, Cowboys 29in BaltimoreThe Cowboys led 10-3 in the second quarter
but chased it the rest of the way. They made the score 31-29 with 36 seconds
remaining but missed on the two-point attempt. They then recovered the ensuing
onside kick, but promptly screwed up clock management and play calling to force
Bailey to try a 51-yard field goal with six seconds remaining. He missed.Should the Cowboys have won: NO way.

Nov. 18, 2012 Cowboys 23, Browns 20 (ot)
in ArlingtonThe fact this game makes this list is quite telling. The
Browns were 2-7. The Cowboys trailed 13-3 after three quarters. The Browns took
a 20-17 lead with 70 seconds remaining. Bailey tied it with six seconds
remaining, and won it in OT.Should the Cowboys have won: Nope.

Dec. 9, 2012 Cowboys 20, Bengals 19
in CincyThe Bengals should have won this four
different ways; they led 19-10 in the fourth quarter. Leading by two, Bengals
DB Terence Newman dropped a sure game-ending int.The Cowboys won on Bailey’s 40-yard field goal at the end of
regulation.Should the Cowboys have won: No way.

Dec. 16, 2012 Cowboys 27, Steelers 24 (ot)In ArlingtonThis game was close throughout; the
Cowboys tied it at 24 with 6:58 remaining. They won it after Brandon Carr
intercepted a pass in OT and returned it to the Steelers’ 1-yard line to set up
the game-winning field goal.Should the Cowboys have won: Yes.

Dec. 23, 2012 Saints 34, Cowboys 31 (ot)In ArlingtonNo one could stop anybody; the Cowboys chased the game the
entire day. The Saints led 31-17 in the fourth quarter before Romo hit Miles
Austin for the game-tying TD catch with 19 seconds remaining.The Cowboys won the coin toss in OT but did nothing. The Saints were moving
when receiver Marques Colston was stripped deep inside Cowboys’ territory but
the Saints recovered the fumble. They kicked the game-winning field goal on the
next play.Should the Cowboys have won: No.

2013Sept. 15, 2013 Chiefs 17, Cowboys 16in KCThe Cowboys led 13-7 in the third quarter before their
offense fell apart against a superior Chiefs’ defense. They were minus-2 in
turnovers.Should the Cowboys have won: No.

Oct. 6, 2013 Broncos 51, Cowboys 48in ArlingtonThe Cowboys led 14-0. They trailed 35-20.
They led 48-41.When it was tied at 48 late in the game, Romo threw a killer
pick that led to the game-winning score for the Broncos.Should the Cowboys have won: Yes. They
had the ball late in a game that was whoever-had-the-ball-lasts wins.

Oct. 27, 2013 Lions 31, Cowboys 30
in DetroitThe Cowboys led 27-24 and were unable to grind away more of
the clock and had to settle for a field goal for a 30-24 lead. The Lions
regained possession with 62 seconds remaining. And, of course, they scored a
touchdown.Should the Cowboys have won: No, but
yes. Their defense was terrible, but a six-point lead with one minute remaining
against a team with no timeouts should be a win.

10/28/2013

DETROIT, Michigan - We are not there yet, but we are approaching an uncomfortable
juncture for former first round pick, tackle Tyron Smith. The Cowboys awful
offensive performance in each of the last two weeks is not on Smith, but no
team with such a poor rushing game and a quarterback who had no time against
the Lions has a great left tackle.

The Cowboys average less than 4 yards per carry for the season; in the past two games the team has averaged 2.8 and 2.4 yards per carry, respectively.

Making it all much worse, for the second time this season Smith had a giant
screwup late that changed the game. On a third down play, it was Smith's holding penalty that stopped the clock in Detroit that helped the Lions regain possession with enough time for their game-winning drive.

Smith would not speak to reporters after the game.

Now, the way the Lions and Calvin Johnson moved the ball they could have regained
possession at their own 3-yard line with five seconds remaining and still won
on a Megatron catch.

If you remember, it was Smith who was pushed back into the pocket
late in the fourth quarter against the Broncos; Romo stepped on the back of
Smith’s foot, it affected his throw which resulted in the game-deciding
interception.

The Cowboys' offensive line has been pushed around at least twice this season - at Kansas City and at Detroit. Smith has not been very good in either loss.

The ninth overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, Smith is not a bust. He is not necessarily bad. He's not a star.

ONE MORE THING ON MEGATRONNot sure why the Cowboys used single coverage on Lions' receiver Calvin Johnson for most of the game. It may not have mattered.Entering the game, Megatron had 492 receiving yards in six games this season.He had 329 yards on Sunday.

YOU WANTED TURNOVERSThe Cowboys defense was asked to create turnovers, which it is doing. How this
team forced four turnovers, and enjoyed a 4-0 turnover margin, and lost is as hard
as it is impressive. It’s hard to force four turnovers. It’s damn near
impossible to force four turnovers and still lose a football game in the
National Football Leauge.

The last time a team did this, finish 4-0 in turnovers, according to STATS, was the Patriots against the Fish in 2007.

Your Cowboys pulled it off.
The Cowboys have forced 19 turnovers this season compared to 16 in 2012.
The team is plus-9 in turnover margin.
They are 4-4.
This is the one stat that says if you are plus you are a winner.
Only the Cowboys.
Imagine what a beat down Sunday would have been without those turnovers.

THIS AIN’T 2007The last time the Cowboys visited the Lions was Decemeber 9, 2007. The Cowboys
were brutal that day against a bad Lions team, but that was a magical regular
season. The Cowboys had four turnovers that day, but rallied for a 28-27 win in the final minute as Jason Witten
had the best day of his life. Witten had 15 receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown, and the Cowboys improved to 12-1.

After the game, the team celebrated in the locker room winning the NFC East
title by wearing new NFC East champions hats and t-shirts. It all went to hell shortly thereafter when the team flopped at home in the
divisional round of the NFC playoffs by squandering home field advantage.

IT’S OK JASONThe locker rooms at Ford Field are about 50 feet apart, which allows for the
teams to be rather close when exiting the field. After the game, Lions
linebacker Rocky McIntosh could see Cowboys tight end Jason Witten as he down
the carpet towards the locker room. McIntosh taunted Witten with, “It’s OK
Jason! It’s OK Jason!”

Witten elected not to respond.
Don’t be fooled – Witten can talk a little junk during a game so McIntosh’s
words were likely in retaliation.

SUH COMES LOOKING FOR FREE
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has a reputation as one of the dirtiest
players in the NFL, so when he came close to the Cowboys locker room and
shouted, “Hey, Free! Hey, Free!” the thought was it was go time.
Cowboys right tackle Doug Free was already in the locker room and could not
hear Suh.
It could not have been that bad; Suh exchanged some nice pleasantries with
Cowboys defensive tackle Jason Hatcher as he approached the locker room doors.
And Suh exchanged a good-game hug with guard Brian Waters.
The way Suh initially sounded was not pleasant.

JOSEPH RANDLE AIN’T GOT IT
The Cowboys are 1-1 without running back DeMarco Murray in the lineup, who missed his second consecutive game on Sunday.
His backups are just that – backups. Granted, they have not had massive holes
to run through against either the Eagles or the Lions, but they should be a
little better than this.Randle ran 14 times for 26 yards on Sunday. He ran 19 times for 65 yards one week ago at Philly.That's not good enough.DeMarco can't return soon enough.

SEAN LEE >>>>> BRUCE CARTERI didn’t even know Bruce Carter was on the team Sunday. A guy who was supposed
to be coming into his own and playing in a scheme that features his position
has been a massive disappointment, both on Sunday and this season. He ranks third on the team in tackles, but impact plays are non-existent.

Sean Lee, however, is this team’s best defensive player, ahead of Jason
Hatcher.
He had two interceptions to increase his team-leading total to four.
He made some big stops inside the redzone as well. He also had the man parts necessary to call this group out when he said, “We
are an average football team.”

PROPS TO BRANDON CARRThe poor guy was turned into dog food by Calvin Johnson all day on Sunday, and
he could have taken the chicken way out of town by not addressing us media
dorks. Carr stood there for an eternity and was a complete professional talking
about his miserable day at the office. He is from Michigan, so it’s a homecoming gone awry but he a note of
appreciation, respect and appreciation for handling himself so well on a bad
day at work.

LOOK OUT FOR THE GIANTSThe New York Giants are now just two wins back to tie for the NFC East lead,
which is both sad, funny and true. They have left themselves no margin for error, but they have a home game remaining against the Cowboys; given the mediocre nature of this division don't rule anything out.

UP NEXT: MORE BAD QUARTERBACKS
I may be the quarterback for the Vikings when they come to JerryWorld next
week.The Vikings are back to local guy Christian Ponder, whom they know is not the answer. And neither is Josh Freeman.Watch the Cowboys dare whatever Vikings QB plays to beat them as they put all 11 defenders in the
box to stop Adrian Peterson.
The Cowboys will be 5-4 before returning to 5-5 when they play the Saints the
following week.

07/24/2013

OXNARD, California - One of the biggest reasons fans come to any training camp is the chance for the autograph, and there may not be any bigger here in Oxnard than Tony Romo. When he signs, it's a Michael Bay-sized event.

After practice on Tuesday, Romo trotted over to the fence where a throng of eager autograph hounds thrust their precious Cowboys junk at his face with the hopes that he would scribble something on their items. He did. And it's a scribble.

Guys will sign because they feel responsible to do it, but the part they hate is that they just know it's going to wind up on EBay, or something to that effect. Look at this shot of three mini-Cowboys helmets - do you think those are going in one man's home? No. Look for any one of these online shortly. When Romo takes time to sign, it's legible.

It is why the smart jocks will ask, "Who can I make this out to?" before they sign. If they take the time to do that, they'll get a reputation and people may shy away. Of course, to do that is a hassle so the vast majority of them just do as Romo did - scribble fast, make some people happy.

But as you can tell from this 30 second clip, it's a zoo to scribble a name.

07/21/2013

OXNARD, California - Tony Romo’s latest crisis and why he is an utter
failure as an NFL quarterback is that he is fat. We’re talking spillage over
the belt with a lactating bosom, and he beeps when he backs up.

Do you realize that in 2005, Tony Romo weighed 219 pounds and looked like Adonis, only better?
Today, he’s listed at 236 and looks the before shot for a guy hoping to land a
spot on The Biggest Loser.

My God - look at that photo. He's giant.

All of the above are only massive exaggerations other than the actual weights;
after an offseason that included "surgery to remove a cyst" (wink-wink), 236 sounds about right.
If Romo looked out of shape it’s because he was, and should have been. Doctors orders were to do nothing.

Tony told the Star-Telegram's Charean Williams that he weighs between 227 and 230, "depending on the day you catch me."

Smart man. Always blame the bleeping scale. Welcome to the wonderful world of lying about your weight.

Of the many things to worry about Romo, expanding waistline is near the bottom
of the concern pile. With the way his offensive line has played, call it self-preservation.

Check the reported weights he played at since he entered the league:2003: 2272004: 2272005: 2192006: 2252007: 2242008: 2242009: 2262010: 2232011: 2272012: 2302013: 236

06/04/2013

IRVING, Texas - The coach who was going to be the happy medium between the Jimmy Johnson/Bill Parcells types has now been relegated to Dave Campo/Barry Switzer/Wade Phillips status. It is not Jason Garrett's fault, but this is what happens when you coach the Dallas Cowboys.

This is Jerry's team, not yours.

Garrett wants us to believe the reason he didn't tell the world that he would no longer be calling the plays for the Dallas Cowboys is for the "competitive advantage."

So imagine his surprise on Tuesday afternoon when his boss said, and the offensive coordinator confirmed, that Coach Process is no longer the primary play caller for the Dallas Cowboys.

Jerry said offensive assistant Bill Callahan will call the plays for the Cowboys in 2013. He said this before JG addressed the media. And Callahan confirmed it before JG was asked about it.

"There is no real advantage for us to reveal who is calling plays in June," Garrett said Tuesday, after he tried not to comment on this non-story story for months. "We have had a plan in place for a long time."

Think February, but Garrett has doggedly tried not to say who would do what in regards to play calling. Maybe because for years play calling was Garrett's baby, and the reason Jerry hired him away from the Miami Dolphins' staff in 2007.

"He's still involved in the game plans," Callahan said. "It's (Garrett's) offensive system and I'm honored to take on the additional responsibilities of calling plays."

Now we know for sure - Jerry took it away, and handed it to Callahan. This is another chapter of the Great Uncomfortable Offseason of 2013.

For the sake of this offense, and the team, it may be better that Garrett is no longer calling plays. He will have more time to worry about the other two phases of the game.

For the sake of the perception of power and his authority, this looks terrible that Jerry made the announcement.

Garrett was the guy who was going to have total scene control, but now he longer does because this is what happens when you coach the Dallas Cowboys.

Garrett was polite, professional and decent in trying to deflect the questions. Whether he really agreed to this decision is debatable, but he certainly didn't like how Jerry just can't help himself around a microphone (God love him).

"What my job is to proceed in the best interest of the Dallas Cowboys and that's how I answer every question," he said.

I asked him if he was concerned about the perception of his authority being usurped by his owner.

He said, "No. I don't."

I asked him why not, then he got assertive.

He said, "Because I know what I do each and every day in regards to this football team. I know how he and I work together and how this organization works. And how well we communicate and how we come to decisions. I know what I do in the morning, when I come over here and how I coach this football team."

How his power is perceived among the media, or fans, or observers does not matter. What matters is how Garrett's power is perceived among his players and his assistant coaches.

And now they know - it's not his call. It likely never was because it's Jerry's team.

04/30/2013

So Jerry Jones wants Tony Romo to spend a Peyton Manning amount of time with the Dallas Cowboys in the offseason to make this team better.

You pay a guy who has one career playoff win $1 trillion and you expect certain things. As much fun and as much potential material as Jerry provided with this quote over the draft this previous weekend, this is a nothing compared to some of his previous winners.

I went back to review some of his great comments after certain classes.

Enjoy ...

5. "We are really pleased with not only the way we were able to trade down, but also with the players that we had pinpointed. We could, in this draft, really make a difference on our football team in 1995."- Jerry on April 23, 1995 when the Cowboys traded down to select Sherman Williams, Kendell Watkins, Shane Hannah and Charlie Williams on the first day of the draft.

4. "I know what we’ve got coming tomorrow. It didn’t look good trading Herschel Walker and doing some things. But you had some information that you knew you were going to get better. While this wasn’t of that magnitude, we’ve got a chance to get some good players. We have a chance to get real extended value because of the early pick in the third round."- Jerry on April 25, 2009 when the Cowboys had already traded out of the first round to obtain WR Roy Williams and then traded out of the second round in a draft where they selected 11 players, none of whom is currently on the roster.

3. “He was the best player available, and we were fortunate to get him."- Jerry on April 18, 1999 after the team drafted defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban in the first round.

1. “We didn’t want to live with missing him if we bet wrong in the
third round . (He’s) a player we may not see the likes again for a couple of
years – if even then."- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on April 21, 2001 regarding
the drafting of quarterback Quincy Carter.

To be fair, you could do this to just about any NFL GM, or coach, on draft day. Everyone misses with the draft. If you hit 50 %, you're a genius.

Jerry has presided over a lot of quality draft picks in his career (DeMarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, Jason Witten, Troy Aikman, Larry Allen and countless others), but these one liners are just too much fun.

Speaking to reporters aboard the Cowboys bus in downtown Indy, Cowboys head coach Jerry Jones told Mr. Clarence E. Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that, "Yes, that would be the most positive result – to extend him, re-sign him, extend him and then have him retire. That means we’ve had some success. And I would like that to happen."

That means you should just plan on Tony Romo being the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys for the next four seasons.

Barring injury, Romo should be around at least through the 2016 season. He's only 32. Deal with it.

Giving Romo an extenion one season before he could become a free agent was highly likely because the Cowboys are desperate to create some wiggle room against a salary cap they are currently pressed against.

The other reason it was likely is the team not only likes him, but absolutely hates the alternative of quarterback hell. Jerry is obviously still very scarred from the years after Troy Aikman retired, which one time included Clint Stoerner making a start.

Despite some logical thinking that both sides would be better off waiting, that simply was not going to happen. Romo would be stupid to turn down an extension of large guaranteed dollars, even if leaving may not be such a horrid idea. The Cowboys need the cap space, and the idea of letting Romo walk puts them in a situation that teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns and so many others find themselves in.

The Cowboys have decided the devil they know is better than John Skelton or Brandon Weeden.

What this cannot mean is the Cowboys do not seriously consider drafting a quarterback. This 2013 draft class may not be loaded with QB prospects, but just because Romo will be locked in with an extension is no reason to ignore this position.

The San Francisco 49ers reached the NFC title game with Alex Smith, and the next year they reached the Super Bowl with Colin Kaepernick.

The Cowboys think they still have their guy, regardless of the body of evidence in front of their own eyes. The guy can play. He can also make some stunning bonehead plays.

He's not going anywhere, but that can't mean the team thinks they don't need to look for his eventual successor.